Diets Reviewed To Help You Lose Weight

Category: Protein Shake

Low Calorie Drinks Weight Loss

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Are you looking for ways to lose weight while still eating good food and asking yourself “what can I do to lose weight”? If so, here are some fast, healthy, easy, weight-loss tips using liquids. For most people, losing weight is never an easy thing to do even if you are a dedicated person. If you are struggling with an inability to lose weight due to overeating or having too large an appetite, one of the best things that you can do is begin to drink water about 30 minutes prior to eating your meals. This way, your stomach gets that “full” feeling earlier and also, your body won’t confuse signals of being thirsty for being hungry which can increase your chances of overeating during your meals. In summer, you may want to have cold water but if it’s a cold day, then a hot drink may suit you better. Further down the page, we will be going over some of the best drinks that you can get into your diet for low calorie drinks weight loss, if you are fed up with plain water.

Meal Replacement Shakes

Of course, you can also replace one or two (not all) of your meals in the day with a meal replacement shake. These can be really helpful when you want to lose weight, as they are usually a powder that you mix with water or another liquid and this can help you feel full faster. Using the supplied scoop to measure the powder into the liquid means you know how many calories you are taking in but you will also need to account for any calories in any alternative liquid you use. Most of them contain protein, which helps keep you feeling full, so they are goodfood. Some will contain additional products like green tea or other items that help burn fat. It’s important to look and see whether your chosen meal replacement shake contains artificial sweeteners, if these affect you.

Many protein shakes or meal replacement drinks are produced from whey, which comes from milk. If you prefer a vegan product, these are available too. Whether vegan or not, most of these products come in a variety of flavors, with chocolate being very popular. Not all flavors suit all palates, most come in chocolate but some people are not chocolate lovers(!). If you are concerned about buying a large packet and not liking the flavor, see if you can find a supplier that provides sample packets with several flavors that you can try, to see which suits you best.

Best Low Calorie Drinks Weight Loss:

1. Green Tea.

Green tea is absolutely one of the very best drinks that you can get into your diet if you are looking to lose a significant amount of weight. One of the biggest reasons why green tea is such a good option to consider is because of the compounds that can be found in it. These compounds are known as catechins and are excellent for speeding up the body’s natural ability to convert fat into usable energy. Thus, by drinking green tea, not only will you quench your thirst and help trick your stomach into feeling fuller, sooner but you will also help boost your metabolism by a significant amount which can play an integral role in helping you lose weight successfully. Calorie count from 1 tea bag of green tea – 2. If you add a splash of milk, then 10 – 20 calories.

2. Infused Water.

If you are not someone that is going to consistently get water in your diet throughout the day (as you should), you will want to embrace the next best thing which is infused water. You can do this easily by cutting up fresh fruit, such as a large strawberry or some raspberries and placing it into your water and leaving it in your fridge overnight. This way, the fruit will effectively breakdown in the water providing you with more flavor and even more nutrients as you drink it. Plain water is the best source because it is not going to add any calories at all, but infused water is no slouch either. It can provide you with all of the benefits of taking in plain water and more. If you are taking a water bottle with you, try adding some frozen fruit, such as a few raspberries or blackberries to cool your water further. Calorie count – zero.

3. Cold Brew.

Cold brew coffee is another excellent option that you are going to be able to get into your diet. As long as you are willing and able to drink the cold brew plain/black, you should be able to count on an extremely low calorie drink that you can get into your diet that is also going to have its own unique weight loss benefits attached to it. Because cold brew coffee is not going to be as bitter as traditionally hot brewed coffee, you are likely to be able to take it in without putting any cream, milk, or sugar. Along with this, it will provide you with a good amount of caffeine that can provide a kick-start to your metabolism in the morning.Calorie count – 2 calories.

4. Oolong Tea.

This is another low calorie drink weight loss option because much like green tea it is also packed with a lot of catechins which can help to speed up the body’s metabolism by a significant amount. Drinking oolong tea will allow your body to better metabolize fats which can really help you burn a significant amount of fat. Along with this, it can help with appetite suppression as well. Calorie count – zero.

5. Mint Tea.

Another good option to consider would be mint tea. Mint tea is such a good option because mint is well known to effectively trigger appetite suppression. Thus, it can help you avoid overeating prior to and/or during a meal. Along with this, it can provide you with the same kind of hydration that will fulfill your thirst needs to avoid mixing signals. It also happens to be a very tasty beverage that can either be drunk while hot or chilled throughout the day. Calories in 1 glass – 5.

6. Other Options

There are many other drinks both hot and cold that can give you the hydration you need with few or even no calories. My favorite any time of the year is hot ginger and lemon (or leave it to cool). You can make it fresh with some slices of fresh ginger and half a lemon (squeeze out the juice first and reserve, then put the lemon peel in with the slices of ginger and pour boiling water over. Add the squeezed juice when it has cooled a little.) It is not only refreshing but also helps if you have a cold (you can add a spoonful of honey if you have a sore throat but this adds calories). Some people prefer a savory taste so they dissolve a stock cube or bouillon stock in hot water (but check the salt levels). Adding water to a large container in the morning, then pouring some into a glass to drink throughout the day and then topping it up, helps you keep check on your fluid intake.

Overall, there are plenty of low calorie drinks that you can get into your diet if you are looking to lose weight and experience the benefits of appetite suppression. By getting some of the drinks mentioned in this article into your diet prior to meals, you should be able to avoid overeating as frequently and you should be able to experience a much easier ability to burn fat.

How I Started BSD

I started the 800 calorie Blood Sugar Diet on a whim, two weeks ago. Not exactly a whim but I had read Dr Michael Mosley’s book on the 8 week, 800 calorie BSD and finished it on the Sunday. It made a lot of sense and it mentioned that the patients in the clinical research trial run at Newcastle University had been put on liquid “shakes” to ensure their calories were counted correctly. I had protein shake in the house, so I decided that from the next day, I would try the 800 calorie 8 week diet. I told myself that I would try it for one day, that I could last one day and then I could go back onto my normal low carb diet. I was just going to try it out. It can be useful to tell yourself this kind of story, looking forward just one day at a time, rather than saying, I HAVE to do this for 8 weeks, when it can seem like a life sentence!

Two weeks later, I am still on this diet and it has been completely possible, I have NOT felt like eating the table leg because I was so hungry. I can’t say that I haven’t felt hungry at all but it’s odd, the hunger has just been a sensation, a feeling, that I was able to acknowledge was there, without salivating or feeling I had to get something to eat.

I have kept a chart of my progress, with the number of calories I ate each day and with my abdomen girth and my weight taken when I had access to a weighing scale. Over the two weeks, I have now dropped 4.5 Kgs, this is 10 pounds in weight! I am at the lowest weight ever for years and I have every expectation that I can break the 70 Kg barrier tomorrow or the next day. This is REALLY exciting for me, as I have not been this low a weight since I discovered (or was introduced to) the Atkins diet back around the year 2000.

What am I eating?

I don’t have breakfast until about 11.00 am most days, because I go for a walk and do not eat until I return from that. I have found that a 100 calorie protein shake, with a cup of tea or coffee to follow, fills me nicely. I have a shaker bottle and a scoop. I add a little water to the shaker bottle, add 1 scoop of protein shake, put the top on and shake to mix it up. I then add more water up to the 500 ml level (about 15 fluid ounces). I drink this slowly. The current flavor is chocolate smooth. I also enjoy blueberry and strawberries and cream flavors. The shake I use is NOT marketed as a diet aid but as nutrition for athletes. It is high in protein and uses artificial sweeteners, to keep the calories low. It is my feeling that by taking a large amount of fluid with the calories, my stomach can feel full even BEFORE the calories hit the digestive system. I take another of these at about 2 pm. By that time, I am starting to feel a bit hungry but the shake fills me up again, so I last until dinnertime with no problems.

For dinner, I generally have what everyone else is having, except, no potatoes or rice or pasta or bread. I just have the meat and a non-starchy vegetable, such as green beans, or cabbage, or cauliflower, etc. I was surprised and pleased to find that a dinner like that is about 400 calories. (I haven’t actually tried any different recipes but there are plenty of recipes available for the BSD if you want.) Together with the shakes earlier in the day, this makes about 600 calories. You might think that is great but NO! Read on to find out why.

Since I realised I could stick to this diet for at least a while longer, I decided to find a support group online, to share experiences and help. I found a closed Facebook group for the 800 calories, 8 week blood sugar diet and applied to join. They were very quick in approving my application and very welcoming, with lots of members there. I immediately found that I should NOT try sticking to 600 calories a day, as my body might think it was being starved and possibly reduce my metabolism to slow weight loss! They advised that I should add a little fat to make my intake up to 800 calories a day. I love almond butter and have that in the house but a small teaspoonful of that has about 100 calories and I have been used to eating a LOT more than that. I was concerned that I might go back to eating a lot of almond butter, so decided instead to put butter on my vegetables at dinner. One ounce of butter has about 200 calories, so that made me up to the 800 calories a day. Other alternatives suggested, were to add cream to coffee, also very nice. They were also able to point me to information on dealing with constipation.

The group talked about various “rounds” of the diet. It seems that some people go on the 8 week diet, take a rest, then do another round. I had never even thought of that! There is a LOT of information, recipes and support available if you want to do this diet.

Positive Points of the BSD

Quick weight loss. I have lost about 10 pounds in 2 weeks and feel I could lose a bit more with no real problems. My target weight is 126 pounds, 9 stone, 57 Kgs. According to the height and weight charts available online, I am currently in the overweight category. My target weight is in the middle of the “normal” category.

Not feeling especially hungry

no loss of energy

Difficult Points with the BSD

Constipation. It’s the same with many diets, the reduction in carbohydrate intake reduces fiber intake. In my case, the almond butter provided a lot of fiber. I need to replace that with more vegetable fiber.

Felt a bit cold during the first week of the diet. The weather was cold but I don’t normally suffer too much with it. Not as cold feeling this week.

Future

Christmas will be here in less than one week and I feel it is highly unlikely that i will stick to this diet over Christmas. BUT the Facebook support group for BSD has planned an 8 week round starting 2 January. I will be on that.

Low Carb Lifestyle

I have tried a number of diets, all of the low carb type recently but haven’t lost anything. I had great success with a low carb diet – the Atkins diet – back 16 years ago but I am a lot older now, possibly not as active and would be considered on “older” woman, these days. I like the low carb lifestyle, which is also known as the ketogenic diet and feel it is healthy for me, as I lose the craving for sugar and sweet things, however, I have also developed a very pronounced taste for Almond butter! This is really good stuff and very healthy but the amount of carbs I need for losing weight is very low, less than 20 grams a day and with the amount of almond butter I eat, it is not possible to keep to that low level. Almond butter contains a lot of protein and good fats but also a fair amount of carbohydrate, so I can’t blame the diet but my liking for Almond butter!

I also tried the low carb high fat diet (LCHF) which is also healthy and which I enjoyed but didn’t lose anything on that either, again, I think, because of the Almond butter. But I certainly enjoyed coffee with cream in it and a number of the other recipes. While I didn’t lose weight on that diet, I didn’t put it on either.

Low Calorie Diet

The most success I had recently was with the 5:2 diet, which I tried for a month and lost 3 Kgs on – which is 6.5 pounds, fairly respectable for one month. That is an intermittent fasting diet, because you eat a very low level of calories (partial fast) on two days of the week and eat normally the other 5 days. It is also a low calorie diet because research shows that you do not tend to eat too much extra on the 5 days of the week when you eat normally to make up for the 2 days on which you partially fasted. It seemed to me that I needed to go back to a low calorie diet even though I had resisted them for over 30 years, believing they did not work for me or that I would be ravenously hungry (in total denial!).

I also heard of a book that I downloaded to my Kindle, called the 8 week blood sugar diet by Dr Michael Mosley. It sounded interesting and I read it from start to finish very quickly as it was also very readable and interesting, with lots of personal stories from different people, which I always thinks makes a book more enjoyable. I had previously heard of research at a University in the United Kingdom that used very low calorie diets to reverse diabetes. It had put diabetics on an 800 calorie diet for 8 weeks and many of them were no longer diabetic at the end of it. At the time, I had thought “that’s interesting” but I wasn’t diabetic and was not likely to take part in any medical experiments like that. BUT Dr Mosley’s book is based on this work in Newcastle University and he shows how anyone can use this diet to lose weight quickly, whether they are diabetic or not.

Up until now, I had believed the current wisdom that losing weight quickly was not good for you and you would put it all back on quickly and more once you stopped dieting. Dr Mosley’s book showed that this was not so. He also said that millions of people in the western world are probably pre-diabetic and do not know it. I have a sister who has type II diabetes and our grandmother was also diabetic, so this is something that concerns me, however, the book is also for those would would like to lose weight quickly. I had found the 5:2 diet a little hard to stick to, remembering to fast on certain days, but I had never felt totally ravenous, so I thought I might be able to try to 800 calorie diet for a couple of days and see how I liked it, maybe even run it as a 5:2.

Dr Mosley had mentioned that the original participants in the 800 calorie 8 week trial had been placed on a liquid diet, using shakes, so that their diet could be fully monitored but that some others had tried it with their normal diet, reduced to 800 calories and found great success. This was a no-brainer for me because I keep a bag of protein shake in the house! I happen to like it and so does my son and also my daughter and we all like it mixed with almond butter as a quick dessert too. One scoop of protein powder in 500 ml of water provides 100 calories (it uses sweeteners, not sugar). That meant I could have two protein shakes during the day and eat a small meal, with no potatoes at night and probably keep within 800 calories. That was something I was willing to try for a day or even two days. I started on 5 December, with two protein shakes during the day and an evening meal of 4 ounces of meat and green beans. I don’t eat first thing in the morning anyway, because I go for a walk with my husband most days and my internal system wouldn’t let me make it right round if I ate or drank anything, so my normal breakfast time is 11.00am or so. At 11.00am on 6 December, I wasn’t ravenous, so I decided to see whether I could do it another day, taking 2 protein shakes, one at 11 and one at about 2pm, then a main meal at 5pm. And the same happened the next day, I have been able to keep on this diet.

I have done this faithfully every day now for over 1 week. I didn’t measure my weight at the start because I just wanted to get going on it and I don’t have scales in the house. I am assuming I weighed 75 Kg because that was the best weight I have been able to achieve at any time in the past couple of years and I had not dipped below that at any time I weighed my self in the past year. Last night, I weighed 72.6 Kgs! That’s 2.4 Kgs in one week. What I have been measuring is my abdomen size (around the belly button). That has not moved during the week. I am assuming that the diet is removing the internal fat in my liver first. This is the dangerous stuff.

How do I feel after a week on 800 calories or less each day?

I feel a little cold (losing my insulation) but not too tired. I had expected to feel weak but I don’t. I am still able (in my late 60s) to walk a 3.5 mile course that climbs a hill to 180 feet with no noticeable slowing down. I also have found that when in bed, I am now more comfortable lying on my side. Previously, I had found that my chest cavity seemed to be being compressed and I was uncomfortable. That suggests I may have lost some internal fat. 🙂 I also feel that my thighs have more room inside my trousers!

How Did I Manage When Dinner Was Not Suitable?

Only on one day did I feel I could not eat any of the dinner (fish fingers and chips), so I had 3 hard boiled eggs and a spoonful of mayonnaise. That filled me up. Most days I take a bigger portion of a green vegetable, rather than a starchy vegetable.

How Do I Look To Others?

Others have commented that I have lost weight around my face. I notice that myself. I am happy with that. 🙂

Am I getting All My Nutrients?

I believe so. I don’t eat processed food. Our main meal is cooked from scratch each day and I eat vegetables, together with a protein source. I occasionally take vitamins.